The White Knight
by ToAnhHnam
Summary: It is a time of war, and one must rise to the challenge. The master of a new generation, and hero for all ages to come. An epic story of the Boy-Who-Lived who brings the legend to life, who challenged the limits of courage and fought for his world.
1. Determination Reached

"_Take care, Harry," said Lupin quietly. "Keep in touch."_

"_Harry, we'll have you away from there as soon as we can," Mrs. Weasley whispered, hugging him again. _

"_We'll see you soon, mate," said Ron anxiously, shaking Harry's hand. _

"_Really soon, Harry" said Hermione earnestly. "We promise."  
Harry nodded. He somehow could not find words to tell them what it meant to him, to see them all ranged there, on his side. Instead he smiled, raised a hand in farewell, turned around, and led the way out of the station toward the sunlit street, with Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley hurrying along in his wake._

Harry Potter sat in the car as it rode off in the highway on its long trip to Number 4, Privet Drive. His eyes were distant; he looked out the window reminiscing about the past events of his fifth year. He decided hands down that not only was it the most absurd, but also tragic and full of loss. His godfather was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it. _Sirius wouldn't like that_, Harry thought. He knew in his heart that Sirius wouldn't want Harry blaming everything on himself. And so he won't. However, that wouldn't prevent him from feeling bad about his death. A gleam of determination entered his eyes, the gleam that Sirius Black and Remus Lupin know so well. It was the gleam that James Potter used to have when he sought out to do something and wouldn't stop until he met his goal. He was fed up with everyone telling him he was too young. He was fed up with everyone trying to protect him. He could take care of himself.

The person to blame for all the hurt in his life was not himself, but it was _Voldemort. _The man who caused a countless number of injuries and deaths throughout the wizarding world. The man who was responsible for Harry's suffering. Harry reached a decision. He was going to go after Voldemort. The wizarding world needed a hero, someone to take a stand against the evil Dark Lord. Dumbledore did it against Grindelwald in 1945. Now in 1996, a new champion shall arise by the name of Harry Potter, Voldemort's equal. But how was the question. How was he going to get the power, and the knowledge to do so? Unbeknownst to him, his answer would come soonc

The car arrived at Number 4, Privet Drive with a very tiredc 'family' inside. Dudley Dursley bolted out of the car and as fast as his little calf-ankles could carry him. He ran inside the house to catch his favourite TV programme. A distant noise could be heard from outside as a fifteen year old approaching sixteen carried out a heavy trunk out of the car's boot. Uncle Vernon wanted nothing more to do with Harry and his actions showed it when he walked past Harry and accidentally knocked Harry down with that big brute arm of his. Now on the floor, Harry had a look that showed anger on his face as he scurried to raise himself up from the ground.

Uncle Vernon scoffed and uttered out a sentence, "You should be lucky I even wasted time to pick you up boy," as soon as those words left his mouth, he immediately regretted it. Harry Potter decided that he'd had it. He was tired of people treating him like dirt when he did not do anything to deserve the treatment.

"You know Uncle Vernon, fine. How about we reach a compromise hmm? You stay out of my way, and I yours. It's quite obvious you don't want anything to do with me, and neither do I want anything to do with you." The words were not as frightening as the tone that accompanied them. That and the look in the adolescent's eyes told Vernon to back offc Or else.

Vernon hurried inside the house, scared of what might happen next. Would Potter tell those freaks that Vernon acted a bit ill towards him? He decided to take up Harry's offer, and he stayed out of Harry's way.

Aunt Petunia was the only other person besides Harry that was outside of the house. Making sure that her son and husband weren't around; she walked up to Harry and said in a whisper only loud enough for Harry to hear. "There are a few sandwiches in the refrigerator and a glass of milk. You may have those if you want. I've also received a letter from your Headmaster telling me of the events that occurred over the past few days. Sorry to hear about your godfather." Once that final word emitted from her mouth, she quickly walked inside, as if nothing had happened. Harry stood there flabbergasted, not knowing what to do. Did his aunt, the wife of his magic-hating uncle show him an act of compassion after fifteen long years? His eyebrow quivered, not knowing how to act exactly, but to take up her offer. With a heave, Harry lifted his school trunk and walked up the stairs, to his small inadequate bedroom. Opening the door, he noticed that the room looked as same as the night he left it. Walking to the side of his room, he placed his trunk down and hurried down the stairs to retrieve his first friend from the wizarding world, his owl, Hedwig.

Back outside, near the boot of the car, Harry saw a strange object. It was a spherical small ball, no bigger than the size of the golden snitch; it was shining a bright blue as it laid there on the ground. He took interest to the object, bending down and placing it in his pocket and telling himself to check it out later. Grabbing Hedwig's cage with his right hand, his left hand closed the boot of the car and walked back up to his room.

Once in his room, Harry opened his window a bit to let in some fresh air, and had allowed Hedwig some time to go exploring. He squinted his eyes, for the sun was bright, high in the sky the sun shone down on Number 4 Privet Drive with its radiating energy. Corresponding to the sun's unusual brightness that day, the small ball that was in Harry's pocket had began to grow warm. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the sphere. It shone a brighter cyan blue. He looked at the sphere closely, and noticed a number. The number that displayed twenty-four began to glow and was now imbued with light. Gradually, it became to dim as it returned to a previous state but the 24 was now replaced with a 23.

From this Harry can infer that it was counting down the hours in a day. Was this a time portkey?

Apparently this signified an event that was soon to take place in less than a day. Harry didn't know what it was but he was sure to be there when the timer reached zero. Now remembering the sandwiches Aunt Petunia made for him, Harry came down the stairs and made his way to the refrigerator. He did not notice his mother's sister sitting at the table as he passed by. He was about to ascend back up to his room, food in hand, when a voice made him jump.

"How was school?" enquired Aunt Petunia. Harry turned around, a bit shocked really. This was about to be the first civil conversation he would have with his Aunt. And about Hogwarts for that matter! Harry sat down at the table with his aunt, and before taking a bite out of his sandwich, replied to her question.

"It was fine, but why you are suddenly interested?" replied Harry. The answer to that question came, but it wasn't the one he was expecting.

"I realise I haven't been the perfect Aunt for you Harry. I was pondering something the other day, I came to a decision. And that is to treat you with the respect you deserve. You might not be my son, but you _are_ my nephew. I know that if Vernon and I were dead and Lily and James had to take care of Dudley, they wouldn't treat you as Vernon and I had treated you. They would have treated him as if he was their own, with love. I'm afraid that was something you grew up without Harry, and for that I'm sorry."

Harry lost the ability to eat, his aunt was sorry? His thoughts were interrupted by a sniff, emanating from his aunt. Looking back to his Aunt, she looked like she was going to break down. Her eyes started to glisten and her breathing had become to hyperventilate.

"Ic brokec myc promise... I promisedc to raise youc asc my ownc and I didn't. Yourc motherc wouldc be so upsetc with me." Petunia said in between intakes of air.

By now, the tears were beginning to form in her eyes and Aunt Petunia bit her bottom lip to prevent any sound from coming out of her mouth. Harry felt his eyes sting also; certainly his parents would raise Dudley as if he was their own son. He did not know his parents well, but he knew that they would take in another out of the purity in their hearts and do such a thing. A wave of silence washed over, lasting for a near ten minutes.

Breaking the silence Harry said, "Aunt Petunia, I'm sure my mother would be disappointed but please, don't worry about it. What's done is done. I don't know if I can forgive you. It'll certainly take some time, but I'll try.' Harry sent his Aunt a feigned smile, to let her know that it was okayc He wasn't angry at her, just indifferent.

Aunt Petunia simply nodded and walked up the stairs and to her and Vernon's room. Harry contemplated this revelation from his aunt over a few sandwiches and a glass of milk. Finishing the final bite, he took the plate and glass, and placed them in the sink to wash later. Slowly, Harry walked back up to his room; the day was too much already. Sleep was a pleasant idea. He collapsed onto his bed, and soon sleep took over him and enveloped him in a serene slumber.

It was a few hours later when Harry awoke, he looked out his window, and wondered something. The sky was dark and the stars were shining majestically in their place A specific cohort of stars caught Harry's attention. Feeling contained, Harry wanted some space and some fresh air to breath. He glanced over at his clock's illuminating light that shone through the darkness, 1: 13am.

He sat up on his bed, thinking over what his Aunt told him yesterday's afternoon; clearly her revelation had an impact on him. Wanting some time to think not about what his aunt had told Harry, but also some other things. Harry walked out of his room, down the stairs, and out the door. It was not before long until he reached the local park. He used to come here a lot when he did little, when he was lost, not know what to do.

Placing his hands behind his head, his eyes gazed back up to the heavenly stars lighting up the sky. A constellation caught his interest; it was the constellation of Canis Major. A dog and one of the bright stars that composed the constellation was called Sirius.

Thoughts of his godfather came back and imbued his mind once again and the tears came back. He remembered a song, a song he heard a while ago on the radio station while the Dursley's were away. _Fade to Black _was the title of the song. The lyrics came back in his mind as if he was hearing it just now. Harry felt like his life seems to fade away, drifting further as time went on. He was lost within himself; at this point in his life, nothing matters, no one else besides his godfather.

_Sirius, I'm sorry I could not save you. _Harry started to cry, and mourned for Sirius and promised himself that this will be the last time. He knew Sirius wouldn't want to be reminisced like this, but he couldn't help it. He finally acknowledged the fact that his godfather truly passed away. His cries and tears were silent, but heavy. They were the silent tears of a lost child, not able to find his mother. They were the silent cries of a fallen hero, who failed at his quest and had gotten someone killed.

His face became grim, searching through his mind, he reached a dead-end. _I have lost the will to live_ Harry thought. What could there be for him left? He lost the closest thing to a father; his only living relatives hated him. The determined gleam in his eyes returned as his jaw became clenched.

_Damn you Voldemort. You're going to pay for this, not just for Sirius oh no. But for everyone, you're going to truly suffer. _Harry thought. The prophecy came back in his mind, line by line as he recalled it.

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approachesc born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month diesc and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows notc and either must die at the hands of another for neither can live while the other survivesc The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month diesc_"

Harry already translated to simpler terms. He knew that in the end, it was either he or Voldemort that'll defeat each other in the end. He was prophesised to defeat Voldemort and what is this "power the Dark Lord knows not?" Remembering the events at the Ministry when Voldemort made his appearance, he saw Dumbledore duelled with Voldemort. Surely that was more power than Harry will ever acquirec right? He finally saw why people claimed that Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard alive, at the Ministry, his magical aura seemed to radiated pure _power_. When Professor Dumbledore fought with Voldemort, gone was the old school headmaster, but replaced that was the man that defeated Grindelwald.

Dumbledore told him that his power was _love_? How was Harry supposed to defeat him then? Kiss his enemy to death? As Harry mused to himself, dry chuckle escaped from his mouth as the thought of the most powerful Dark Lord killed from a kiss. With a finality, Harry stood up and sniffed one last time. With the back of his hand, he wiped away the remaining tears left on his face and swore to himself that he'll be a better person because of this.

Suddenly, "Excuse me, are you alright?" A voice spoke out along with a hand landing on his shoulder from the darkness beside him. Reflex kicked into gear as Harry abruptly drew his wand, spun a full circle and pointed his weapon at the figure with a stern expression on his face.

"AH!" a feminine voice exerted, and soon followed after that, "Oh I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was walking by and saw you, I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"If anyone should be sorry, it's me. Just reflexes and I'm sorry if I scared you also," assured Harry. Remembering his manners, Harry reached out his hand and introduced himself.

"By the way, I'm Harry Potter."

The girl placed her right hand forward to grasp the young man's. He looked so lost. He looked as though he could use a friend right now too. Samantha Russell decided to comfort the stranger, even if she didn't know him well. Wait a tick, _Harry Potter_? That name was familiar to her. Had she heard it somewhere before? Searching her mind for where she heard the name before. Realisation fell upon her as she widened. This was the Boy-Who-Lived! Funny thing as she thought to herself. The image she got from the _Daily Prophet_ and the _Quibbler_ was this hero, someone who was a charismatic powerful character. Is this the person beneath the scar?

"Samantha Russell. I'm sorry to ask, but why are you crying?" responded Samantha.

Harry paused for a bit, she appeared as if she was a muggle. Well, she was dressed like one. And also, he didn't know if she knew anything of the wizarding world or not. He chose to play it safe and if she was a witch, then she can know more about hisc troubles. In the dark, his emerald eyes examined her face a bit. She had a face of sincerity and eyes he could gaze into.

"I apologise to you for meeting me in such a condition. But I was grieving the loss of my late godfather." Harry spoke candidly. He really wanted someone to confide in, someone to share his pain with. He thought of this person again, in his mind he knew: he was making a friend.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry." Her hands went up to her mouth, covering it in astonishment.

"I know how losing a loved one is like; I lost my grandpa a few months ago. It's hard but you'll get over it eventually. I'm sure that your godfather wouldn't want you remembering him like this, but rather how he lived," comforted Samantha. In her mind she knew she could relate with this Harry Potter.

Harry smiled at her, knowing that she was being sincere and not acting out of pity. Deciding to change the subject, Harry chose a more comfortable subject for the two of them to talk about.

"So, what do you like to do for fun?" Harry asked as his face showed interest to this young lady in the dark.

It was with that question that the two of them spent hours conversing with one another. They talked about everything ranging from music to animals, weather to politics. Before long, while still talking with each other; they finally saw the speck of light hovering over the horizon and shining in both their eyes. As the sun rose ethereally over the hills, they finally saw each other in the full light. To Harry, Samantha looked absolutely beautiful. Her cinnamon reddish hair accentuated her brown chocolate eyes he could stare into, and her smile made his heart flutter.

Samantha was now staring into Harry's jaded emerald eyes. She saw that these eyes showed a great deal of despair. Despite the significant amount of despair and sorrow his eyes portrayed, she noticed a small glimmer of hope and determination that shone through his eyes prevailing the negative emotions. Aside from his distinguishing eyes, she also saw the lightning shaped scar on Harry's forehead. The mark of how everyone knew him and how he became the Boy-Who-Lived. Her ponderings were disturbed as Harry decided to break the silence shared between them and said sheepishly, "Erc sorry. I was just thinking about something. You're really beautiful you know?" Harry smiled and pulled his right hand to scratch the back of his head.

Samantha blushed; yes, people had told her that in the past. But now, coming from this person she just met a few hours earlier, she began to blush. Why was he different? Was it because it was coming from a celebrity and not a common-man? Or perhaps the way he said it, it was with sincerity behind the words and its tone of how it was said.

Smiling, she replied, "Yeah. But coming from youc it means something different."

Curiously, Harry raised an eyebrow at her, "Different, what do you mean? Different good or different bad?"

"Oh no! I meant different good."

At this moment, Harry smiled at her, a real smile. Samantha turned away bashfully, admitting to herself that she was blushing profusely.

"Now that the sun is now up, would you me to walk you home? I think I speak for the both of us when I say that neither of us got sleep last night," offered Harry.

It was now Samantha's turn to smile, "Sure, I'd like that."

The two of them arose from the bench where they were sitting and walked adjacent to each other down the street. A couple houses later, they arrived at an exquisite two-story house. The front lawn was richly green and had elegant flowers bordering the edges of the lawn. Approaching the mahogany door with a diamond-shaped window in the upper half of the door, Harry turned to Samantha and gazed into her eyes. Samantha looked back at Harry, and their eyes locked. They had stayed like that for a few moments, neither one of them making a move.

Samantha reached inside her pocket, for the key to enter the house. But before she did, she told Harry to wait for a bit. As she went inside her house, she looked around for some paper and a pen to write with. Finally spotting a spare sheet near a desk, quickly she wrote down her name and telephone number on the paper. If he ever wanted to see her personally, he now knew where she lives. Satisfied with the note, she came back outside to find a confused Harry Potter with his arms crossed.

"Hey Harry, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long," said Samantha, in case Harry was a bit upset.

"Oh, I don't mind. I was just thinking," said Harry with a small smile on his face.

"Here you go. Call me sometime, and it was great chatting with you." With that, Samantha handed Harry the note she had written. He waited until Samantha went back into her house and turned around making his way back to Number 4, Privet Drive with the note in his hand.

As she turned around from the door, she was startled by a voice.

"Where were you?"

Samantha jumped, "Dad?"

"How come you were out so late? You know that we have to be discreet to the Muggles." Her dad told her.

"I know Dad, but a boy named Harry Potter lost his godfather and was crying in the park. So I decided to comfort him." At the mention of Harry's name, her father's eyes went wide at shock. Of all the luck that Harry Potter had to fancy, it was his daughter. Just maybe...

"Dad, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with Harry?" his daughter's voice brought him back to reality.

"Huh? Oh nothings wrong. Nothing at all, that is all." Michael assured his daughter. Like most of the wizarding world, the parents of teenage daughters secretly hoped that the Boy-Who-Lived would fall in the love with theirs. Thinking of an idea, "Hey! Why don't you invite him to dinner tonight?" said Michael Russell.

"Hmm, alright. But I don't know where he lives though." Samantha told her father.

"Didn't you give him our number?" Samantha nodded, "Well, when he calls, invite him to dinner then. When he gets here, tell him that we're wizards alright? That way, there'll be nothing to hide."

"Alright Dad."

"Get some sleep," told Michael Russell.

"Okay, see you later Dad." assured Samantha.

Samantha made her way up to her room, and looked around her room. _Jeez, I need to clean it_ she mused. She wasn't even moved into the house for two days and already, it was messy. She walked over to her bed as she yawned and rubbed her eyes. She tripped over a spare book lying on the ground and fumbled her way and crawled into her bed. As she laid in her bed, her eyes stared up to the ceiling of her room. Soon enough her eyes were closed and she fell into the calmness of sleep with thoughts of a certain green-eyed boy on her mind.

Harry made his way from Samantha's house back to the park and with a few turns here and there, he was back at Number Four, Privet Drive.

When he was back at the house of his last living family members, he quietly grabbed a small snack from the refrigerator before climbing up the stairs back to his room. His eyes fell on the old clock in his room, and it was now near the time when people usually got up to begin their day. Rubbing his face, his face grew tired from staying up the whole night. Removing his glasses from his face, he placed them on the small table near his bed as he fell onto the springed mattress with Samantha's note still in his hand.


	2. A Whole New World

The sun reigned high in the sky, shining down on the world with unequivocal power. A soft morning dew still glistened on the grasses of the field, warmed by the morning after the crisp evening before. Flowers of summer bloomed profusely; roses and daisies accented viridian bushes as the sun brought their flowers to life. It was the first day of summer, and also the start of the training of a champion.

It was only five minutes ago, where Harry Potter fell into a serene slumber in the smallest bedroom of Number Four, Privet Drive with a smile on his face. He made a new friend not too long ago, and she lived not too far from his current location and of that, he was able to visit her during the summer.

This was the first time in days that Harry was able to sleep peacefully, without images of the Department of Mysteries flashing through his head. Turning only once in his sleep, he transitioned from his laying on his stomach to his back and his right arm draped over his chest clutched protectively over Samantha's note. No one had known about this except him, but over the years since receiving the letter from Hogwarts acknowledging that he was to become a student there, he kept all of his letters received along with his other items underneath the loose floorboard in his room.

A few hours later, and Harry finally woke up. The day was still young, and he was most curious as to what is the event that'll occur. Sitting up on his bed, he noticed there was something in his hand. _Oh yeah_ he mused, remembering of the note Samantha gave him the note hours before. Unfolding the note, he started to become curious as to why she'd go through the trouble of scribbling something down instead of telling him right there on the spot while he was outside her door. Once the note was unfolded, he looked at the handwriting and saw that it was a bit... elegant.

_What girl I know that doesn't have illegible handwriting _he thought.

_Hey Harry, _

_I had a really great time talking with you, you're really deep you know!_

_Well, all I wanted to tell you in this note is that if you're interested_

_in spending more time together? You know, go see movies, walk in the park,_

_things like that. I'd really love it. I'm starting a summer job so, hopefully_

_I'd be able to see you there sometime. Anyways, my phone number is 3347662._

_Call me sometime alright? Or just stop by, you know where I live now. _

_Samantha_

By the time Harry was done reading the letter, he wore a smile on his face contemplating on their conversation throughout the night and into the morning. They got along fine, and shared a few things in common such as favourite things to do in spare time or type of ice cream. Harry quickly memorised Samantha's number as it wasn't terribly too difficult to do so. Harry ran his hand through his hair, he pondered as to how his day would be; little did he know that it'll be much more than that. Grabbing a few clean garments to wear, Harry walked across the hall and stepped into the shower. Ten minutes after the shower, Harry brushed his teeth and walked back across the hall and into the the room and made sure that his door was fully closed so his relatives would not see the going-ons inside.

When Harry was fully inside his inadequate room, and he had encountered a very peculiar sight. In the middle of his room, where the strange blue orb was, emanating from it was a tube-like light about three feet in diametre. It shined with a slight hum as it shimmered with its majestic celadon light. He felt... that he needed to grab ahold of his wand, his glasses, and not to mention a piece of toast from downstairs before stepping into the tube. He rethought the idea of going alone and decided against it.

"Hedwig," Harry called out to his snowy owl. She obediently glided over to her master, landed on his shoulder, and proceeded to nip on his ear affectionately. He figured that his long-term companion would be able to reach assistance if Harry would ever need it.

"Ready to go Hedwig?" Harry asked his owl. She replied by letting off a hoot and Harry took that as an affirmative. Taking a deep breath, Harry stepped into the strange mystical portal.

"Here goes nothing girl."

As Harry stepped into the portal, he thought he felt the familiar tug behind his navel from a portkey. However, this wasn't a portkey, it was something else. Instincts told him that he was slowing down, soon to land. Harry braced himself, and held his owl in his arms protectively as the landed, unfortunately the landing wasn't smooth.

"Oof!" Harry let out as he tumbled onto the ground. He pulled himself up, and Hedwig stood on his shoulder while Harry took in his surroundings. The grass were a rich green as it spreaded all over the field. The air temperature was comfortable, definitely not too hot nor was it too cold. One would be able to walk about outdoors in just shorts and a shirt. Harry's eyes narrowed, he could see a building in the distance at the top of the hill. _Better as someone for help I supposed, _ Harry reasoned, and he began to walk to the aforementioned building.

"Come on Hedwig." As Harry walked, Hedwig flew alongside him, loyal as she is to her owner.

Fifteen minutes passed as Harry arrived in front of the house. The house was in fact, a small house suiting no more than four people comfortably; one more and it'll be cramped. The house was painted a rich regal mahogany and a tint of crimson in some aspects, obviously painted by a someone that knew what they were doing. Harry walked up to the door, and hoped that whoever lived here was home.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Harry stood there waiting for no more than a minute until he raised his right hand to knock again only to be stopped when someone opened the door. A man appearing to be entering his fourth decade of life had opened the door. His hair was black and was long, reaching up to his mid-back but as lengthy as his hair appeared and his age, it showed no signs of greying yet. He wore robes obsidian black robes as dark as his hair was. His face was young, yet so old at times; his eyes showed that he'd seen things in his life that he prefered not to and could do better without. However, those events turned him into a man, and no longer a child.

Harry walked in through the door after analysing the man quickly in his head, he looked kind enough right? Stepping into the house, he noticed that they weren't the only two inside as there were noises of cutlery cluttering about were coming from the kitchen.

"Come on, lets go to the kitchen and allow me to introduce you to the others. Then we would be able to explain some things," the stranger told Harry and motioned with his hand for him to follow. Harry looked around the room and took in his surroundings as he did when he was outside. He saw an abundant amount of weapons lined up against the walls; a dagger sat on a shelf with a golden hilt engraved with a signature. Most likely its forger or its wielder. Harry looked around at some more things around the house as he followed the man.

The man opened the door seperating the kitchen from the hall they were just in. Inside, there were two more men, both with a warrior like esque. These men appeared to be older than the person who showed Harry into the house. One of the men, who was sitting on the right, looked up at Harry and smiled at him for a brief second before speaking. "I suppose introductions are in order."

"Yes, that'd be nice, and how did I get here?" asked Harry.

"I am Altair Orion, the man that escorted you here is Xiu Lin. And, the person that is pigging out on the food here, his name is Marzon Alnilam." answered Altair as he gestured with his left hand towards the man across from him, clearly stuffing his face.

Marzon didn't bother to stop eating when Altair introduced him to Harry, nor did he make note of Harry's presence in the kitchen. Altair took notice of his friend's rude behaviour and his philia for food. Marzon, when in the process of devouring the food around him, he was oblivious to the people and the going ons encirculating him. Marzon had only inserted a fork with eggs on it into his mouth when Altair kicked him underneath the table on Marzon's shin causing him to swallow the bite of eggs abruptly. In this moment of a distraction, Hedwig took the liberty to chow down a few bites of toast and a drink out of Altair's cup of water.

"Ow! Altair, what was that for!" Marzon yelled at Altair, partially mad because he kicked him, but mostly that he did get to savour the eggs he had in his mouth.

Altair sent him a scowl and retorted, "If you weren't so into your goo, you would mind that our guest has arrived."

Marzon hurriedly wiped his mouth with an eggshell white napkin with organic designs on it as Altair told him of Harry's being here. Marzon placed the now crumpled napkin back on the table, and he quickly took a swift sip of his drink from the cup in front of his plate. Harry was confused when Altair said, "...our guest has arrived," were they expecting him? Did they have anything to do with that weird thing in his room?

"Um, excuse me. But what do you mean by 'our guest has arrived,' were you expecting me? And did you have anything to do with that weird blue pipe in my room?" Harry pressed on.

"Well, _I_ didn't do anything with that. It was all Xiu Lin here, he's the one with the most power in magic." said Marzon.

Xiu Lin looked a bit irritated, "Not much more than yourself Marzon." Xiu took a paused before concluding the imminent argument between himself and Marzon and said with a finality, "Marzon, we're discuss that later. But now, we have to explain some things to Harry."

Altair nodded, "Harry, how were you transported here?"

"I came here through this weird pipe. It was bluish coloured I supposed. It was sticking out of my room from this weird blue orb I found." answered Harry.

"Ah yes, my new device. Had a lot of fun creating that I did. Glad to see that it works. I call them telepipes. I've never enclosed one inside an object before, I just conjured them up." explained Xiu.

"Harry, time is decelerated here. For every hour on Earth, ten days will have pass here." said Xiu.

"Wait, why are you telling me this?" inquired Harry. Yes, why _was _he transported here? Why him out of everyone else?

"We have arranged a telepipe for you once we've heard of the threat on your world, Voldemort." said Xiu. Xiu only clarified a few questions that lingered on Harry's mind but he was still confused as to what Xiu mean by 'your world.'

"What do you mean, 'my world'?"

"Currently, we are on the planet Ragol. Your planet, Earth, is very much like our own: it has the ability to support life; a wide range of inhabitants and animals living on the planet; and also, we share the same source: the sun.

Like on Earth, a Dark Lord threated our existance not too long ago. His name was Falz, and his reign of terror lasted only for one year; however, the damage that he had succeeded in causing was immense. It was the joint effort of Altair, Marzon, and myself that had finally placed a stop to Falz. I believe Altair would be able to recollect the battle for you." Everyone's face became grim and saddened. Harry concluded that something in the battle must have happened.

Marzon spoke up, "I'll get us all something to drink before starting that bit."

Meanwhile at Number 12, Grimmauld Place where an Order ofe the Phoenix meeting is taking place, a special guest was invited to sit in on one of the meetings because Dumbledore had a 'feeling' that something was going to happen, and that guest just happened to be Sibyll Trelawney, Divination teacher at Hogwarts.

Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, stood at his podium during Order meetings. He turned his head to Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts.

"Severus, I believe you have something to say?"

Professor Snape gave Headmaster Dumbledore a curt nod before standing up to speak. He spoke in a quiet manner yet in the tone he address his little speech, it had the effect of a dragon's roar echoing through valleys and cliffs.

"Yes Headmaster. I believe that the Dark Lord will soon begin his plan. He is premeditating the idea of attacking Diagon Alley near the end of holiday when occupants are in abundance. He is contemplating to make a personal appearance himself," finished Snape.

The silent reaction of the Order after Snape's revealings was deafening. Dumbledore looked upon the members of the Order from his podium and each of their faces showed a great deal of worry. The majority of them were competent against battling with Death Eaters but Voldemort himself? They all trembled in their chair at the sheer thought of his name. Most of them were afraid of his _name_ for Merlin's sake.

"If this is indeed true, then we must prepare for the battle that is forthcoming. We must station as much Aurors and members of the Order as possible around Diagon Alley to ensure the safety of the public. Voldemort," there were a collective noise as people inhaled their breath and some flinched, "is certainly not wasting time either."

Sibyll Trelawney was raising her goblet to drink a sip of pumpkin juice when she suddenly lost her grip on it and her eyes became distant. Everyone rushed to assist the Divination teacher but halted their actions when Dumbledore told everyone to stay put. Professor Trelawney's voice when she opened her mouth was not in her usual ethereal mystic voice, but now in a harsh hoarse tone as both Harry and Dumbledore experienced before.

"_The Dark Lord's equal shall ascend in power, fueled by the elements...The Dark Lord will accumulate masses of followers, ready to do his bidding...The first battle of many in both Light and Dark represented by their respectful ambassador, shall truly engage in the fate of the two realms at an alley..._"

Dumbledore looked shocked, it was another prophecy delivered by the same person, who sealed Harry's destiny when he was one years old. Dumbledore took a look around the room, and some people had an expression of puzzlement with a hint of excitement as they try to speculate who is the Dark Lord's equal. Once Sibyll finished giving the prophecy, she returned back to her regular ethereal self as she simply asked, "Oh my dear, what happened?" Everyone in the Order sent Dumbledore a look after she asked that question.

Dumbledore paused for a bit, going over what just happened. "I believe that Sybill was just heading out on her way back to Hogwarts?"

Several members nodded and some said, "Yes you were," or a simple, "Yep."

"Oh alright then," Professor Trelawney replied as she walked over to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of floo powder sitting above the mantle and yelled, "Hogwarts, Divination Tower!"

Once Professor Trelawney had vanished in the green flames, which were now a soft quiet yellow with orange at the bottom, the Order members looked at Albus Dumbledore for an answer. It was Arthur Weasley, head of the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, that broke the silence.

"Professor, You-Know-Who has an equal? There'll be someone who can take a stand against _Him_?" he asked but with a hint of excitement behind his voice.

"It appears to be that way; unfortunately, we are oblivious to his identity." answered Dumbledore. His second statement had only been a half-truth, granted only he knew that the Dark Lord's equal is Harry Potter. But, how was he going to get the power to rival Tom Riddle's Dumbledore wondered.

"Director Bones, please see to it to station Aurors at Diagon Alley, and undercover if possible; we do not want anyone to get suspicious," Dumbledore asked Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Dumbledore paused for a bit before continuing; he looked to Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody.

"Alastor, you've trained countless Aurors back in your day. Do you think it'll be possible for you to gather some forces to defend Diagon Alley in case of attack?" Dumbledore asked the retired Auror.

"I should be able to, most of them owe me a favour; asking them to stand guard at Diagon Alley shouldn't be too much trouble." Moody answered.

"Good. Remus, the Dementors have defected to Voldemort's side; since you are one of the few amongst our members that are capable to conjuring a corporeal Patronus, would it be possible for you to take some time off your day to linger around Diagon Alley in case of any Dementors?"

The werewolf's head jerked up once Dumbledore called out his name, and he listened with rapid attention.

"Of course Dumbledore, I'll gladly sacrifice my time to help out. And if there _are_ Dementors, we'll need all the help we can get since there aren't many to can adequately cast a corporeal Patronus." said Remus.

"Yes. Alright now, are there any more concerns that needs to be brought up?" Dumbledore asked the Order. Molly Weasley, mother of seven, stood up and asked a question.

"Headmaster, what about young Harry? What are we going to do with him? Can't he stay at the burrow?"

Professor Dumbledore chuckled a bit at the woman's motherly nature, always worrying about the kids she is, and is always willing to do anything necessary to see them smile as if there was nothing wrong in the world.

"Harry will be able to stay at the burrow at the end of the month until the start of term, but until then, he must stay at his relatives," Mrs. Weasley's face appeared a bit disappointed. "but I _will_ send him an owl asking if he would like to come visit if its any consolation?"

Mrs. Weasley smiled briefly and said, "Of course, thank you Albus."

"Anyone else with something that they think they should share?" Dumbledore addressed to the Order. Nobody made any movement or sound to indicate they've something to share with the rest of the Order. With a finality Dumbledore spoke out, "Then this meetng is now adjourned."

On Ragol, Marzon, Xiu, and Altair had now finished recollecting the gruesome battle that decided the fate of Ragol to Harry. Their faces were haunted, with the images still freshed on their minds from the now finished tale.

Xiu spoke up, after a few moments of silence, "We knew of Voldemort, and that is why you were summoned here. With your permission, we want to train you so you would be able to fend off this evil."

Harry took his free hand, as his other was holding a cup of water, to rub his face in thought underneath his glasses. "I'd like to receive all the help as possible in defeating Voldemort once and for all. Not just for myself, but for others; I'm sick of him just killing people for sport. I'm sick of him hurting those I love. And I'm sick of him making my life miserable. I just want to end it."

Xiu nodded before continuing, "Well Harry, I can teach you a wide range of spells and dueling tactics, Altair here can work on your physical condition and training. Marzon... Marzon, how are _you_ going to help him?" All three of them looked at Marzon, from a first glance Harry thought, Marzon appeared like a versatile person. Marzon was built but at the same time, skinny and well toned; Harry concluded that he was probably light on his feet when he needs to be. And who knows what else he can do.

"Well..." Marzon began, "Believe it or not, I'm quite competent at academic work. I can help you in theorising magic and potions?"

"Sure, that'd be great." Harry said to Marzon while nodding his head. Another few moments of silence had passed, and somewhat awkwardly in a way. These 'strangers' just offered Harry to help him prepare in the war, and he barely knew them. He did not know anything about theme except their names but something in Harry's gut told him that their word and intentions were pure.

Xiu took a sip of water, and placed his cup back on the table. He licked his lips and asked Harry, "Well, Harry. Why don't we get started?" he offered.

"The sooner the better."

"Follow me."

Harry rose up from his chair and followed Xiu to wherever he was leading him. They went through a hallway in the house, and came across a glass door. Xiu turned around, "Not much further. The technique I'm about to teach you is called Shunkan Idou. Which means Instantaneous Movement in English. You can say that its a form of Apparation, but its not exactly the same, as it follows different procedures. When we get to where the training ground is, I'll explain more."

Harry was now deeply intrigued. _Wow, I can get where I want to go almost instantaneously now. That'd be a great help, _He thought. He also thought about if he can use this method to come in and out of Hogwarts, he'd have to try. After setting a mental note to try it out once he reached Hogwarts, he also set another one to not tell Hermione, as she'll lecture on how you are unable to Apparate on Hogwarts grounds. Harry was brought out of his thoughts by a squawk from a falcon gliding above Xiu and himself. It was a bit big, obviously at its prime stage of life. The falcon had let out a chirp before flying off onto a lone nearby tree in the vast field.

Xiu stopped suddenly and much to Harry's shock, he disappeared without any trace of anyone else being there besides Harry, save the imprint of the soles of Xiu's shoes. Seconds passed and Xiu appeared out of thin air, literally, in front of Harry's eyes with no indication of arriving beforehand. If Harry was impressed, he certainly did a good job of masking it as his face wasn't an incredulous stupor as the common wizard would have; but a face of normalcy, his usual expression when he encountered anything out of the ordinary.

"Cool" Harry said simply, "That was the Shunkan Idou then? or.. Instantaneous Movement... whatever you want to call it."

"Yes, that was it." said Xiu. "I think its a lot better than Apparation. Unlike Apparation, it makes no noise when you appear, or disappear. It is also useful in battle because of that reason, and Anti-Apparation wards won't hinder this method at all." he continued. Xiu developed a great number of theories on various branches of magic, but unfortunately, most of his experiments didn't go as well as he would liked. There was this certain spell he managed to come across, however only a pure heart is able to cast it...

"Well the concept of instantaneous movement is to think of a place, or person of your destination. The stronger recollection of it, the better the results. For example, the tree over there," Xiu gestured his right hand towards the tree in the distance, as the leaves of it were blown by a soft breeze. "it'll be easy to transmit over there because you have a clear memory or view if you will of it. Also, if you are one to practise meditation or Occlumency, it'll greatly assist you in this method but it isn't necessary." Taking this left foot, he pointed his toes and drew a fairly sized X on the ground with it. "Harry, imagine this X, and your physical self there. Then just will yourself there. Its bit difficult to comprehend, yes but just try it."

Harry closed his eyes and pictured the X that was a few metres away from him. Without even realising it, Harry analysed the X to the littlest detail, from the blades of grass bent at the root to the particles of dirt of foundation in the grass. He felt himself traveling, and landing on the ground, almost instantaneously. He opened his eyes to see Xiu's stern face gazing back at him, but with a hint of a smile.

"You did it," said Xiu. "Now, its quite easy but it gets harder and harder if you are greatly distracted, such as in a duel. If you are planning to transmit yourself in a duel, be sure to keep your mind level headed, so hopefully your enemies wouldn't expect it. You should go home now, picture your residence and just 'will' yourself in your room. If you would like to travel to here by telepipe, it will go off at two in the morning. Or if you prefer to come here by transmitting yourself, feel free to. I have no doubt that this will be amongst many skills that you will perfect."

Of course, Harry didn't _really_ payed attention to Xiu's lecture, just catching onto the part of telepipe at two, or coming here by transmission. Harry pictured his tiny room in Number 4, Privet Drive and in less than a second, he was gone.

Xiu quickly appeared into the house in which Altair and Marzon are awaiting how Harry was doing. Altair was the first to speak, "How did he do?" Xiu's face become a large smile, closely to a grin. "He quickly gotten the grasp of Shunkan Idou, but it is only the one of the many skills he will perfect during his time here."

Marzon lifted his head up, and his face expressed something along the lines of hope. "That's great to hear, that boy is our last hope."

"Yes, but this Voldemort character is only a test in which is to come of his destiny." Altair added. The three of them, nodded before heading to bed but not without a glimmer of hope in their minds.

Harry was in his room, taking in his surroundings but was astonished at the sun still shining. He was positive that he spent a very great deal of time on Ragol, as when he left, the sun was setting and when he arrived at the place, the sun was in the middle of its rise. But only five minutes have passed. According to his broken-down clock that is. He made his way to his bed, in attempt to lie down and reflect on what happened as he usually does. But as he laid down, there was a letter underneath him and he quickly jumped up in surprised. "Oh, its only a letter." he said to no one.


End file.
